Cecil Meeusen

Cecil Meeusen is a tenure track lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Social Sciences, KU Leuven. He serves as head of the RESPOND (OG) research unit and is actively involved in multiple research committees including the Sociology Leadership Team, Research Committee, and Evaluation Committee of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

His research focuses on political sociology, migration studies, prejudice and discrimination, social polarization, and intercultural relations. Meeusen employs advanced quantitative methods and big data approaches to examine complex social phenomena, with particular attention to ethnic relations, acculturation processes, and political attitudes in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Meeusen's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on analyzing social polarization, particularly regarding migration and sexual education. His research often employs innovative methodological approaches, combining traditional survey data with geospatial information from OpenStreetMap and other big data sources. His work frequently examines the Belgian context, with comparative studies extending to other European countries like Hungary and the Netherlands.

Meeusen leads and contributes to numerous research projects with funding extending through 2028, including studies on parental positions amid increasing polarization in sexual education in Belgium, analyzing polarization around relational and sexual formation in Flanders, and examining attitudes toward wealth and redistribution in Belgium since the 19th century.

As an educator, Meeusen teaches courses in social statistics, quantitative data analysis, and big data for social sciences, preparing students to handle complex social research questions with advanced methodological tools.